The perfect (to me) tiny trawler

[SeaWoof]

One thing missing in your little bio is age. Twenty five years ago I bought a then newish Island Packet 37 and my wife and I cruised the east coast and the Bahamas for a couple of years on it.

Then I was 52 and the boat was three years old. I did some upgrades to the charging and battery system and installed a radar before we headed out.

Then that effort was quite tolerable. Today, not so much. I had it pretty easy as the boat was only 3 yo and well maintained.

Fast forward a decade or so and I bought a Cape Dory 28 for local cruising from an Oriental, NC home base.
I upgraded some stuff but it was much harder dealing with an older boat- stuff was added prior to my purchase and the wiring was a rats nest.

Fast forward again to today and I wouldn’t consider anything but a year or two old boat. Old enough to have gotten the kinks out but young enough so the systems were all OEM.

So, the moral of this long winded story is, the older the person is the younger the boat needs to be but not brand new.

David

Still plenty young enough at 42. Avid rock climber and mountain biker. Should get back to kayaking more (was really heavy into it a decade ago). Another goal for the boat is as a launch point / adventure platform for climbing and kayaking. The bikes can stay home

 

[Retriever]

Nordic Tug 26 or 32, with a strong preference to the 32 if you can make the $$ work.

I've done the whole Inside Passage and West Coast of Vancouver Island on a 22' C-Dory and also much larger displacement and semi-displacement boats. Small and speedy or big and slow both work, but I wouldn't want small AND slow unless you're staying in a very small area or love rolling around. I averaged under 7 knots in the C-Dory, but would never have been able to do the longer trips without the ability to run fast and seize weather opportunities when needed.

 

[Jeff F]

I've done the whole Inside Passage and West Coast of Vancouver Island on a 22' C-Dory and also much larger displacement and semi-displacement boats. Small and speedy or big and slow both work, but I wouldn't want small AND slow unless you're staying in a very small area or love rolling around. I averaged under 7 knots in the C-Dory, but would never have been able to do the longer trips without the ability to run fast and seize weather opportunities when needed.

Good advice. If I had onshore storage and a tow vehicle I'd lean towards something like a C-Dory that could be trailered and launched anywhere for a week or more of adventurous cruising.

I don't know your area, but keeping a boat in the water vs on shore usually introduces a new set of costs and responsibilities... If you're going to commit to that then size constraints are a little softer.

 

[Jeff F]

Like most things in life, it comes down to money. What’s your budget? If cost is no object, you can have a boat designed and built to your specifications.

And if cost is a consideration, find that boat on the used market .

If your vision aligns with the original designer/builder and current owner it's a win/win. The best deals out there are great boats that are unrecognized/unknown in the chattering class, or dismissed as having no resale value.

Here's a boat in Ontario that I'm pretty sure I looked at when shopping for my first trawler ten years ago. Original owner was a retired marine engineer and the whole boat was very tidy and well thought out. Always fresh water.

31’ Custom Built Trawler/ winter storage maybe arranged | Powerboats & Motorboats | North Bay | Kijiji Classifieds

Professionally built steel trawler, semi displacement hull design by Ken Hankerson. 7 ton displacement / 11.5 beam / 3.5 draft 80hp m55 Iveco commercial marine diesel/ dual cooling and lub oil cooler . 350 gal fuel 2 tanks 1000 mile range. Borg Warner velvet drive transmission with cooler King V...

www.kijiji.ca

I'd consider the NT32 another benchmark boat, and a great suggestion for the OP. But when I line it up against the above boat my first instinct is that there's an unjustifiably high price spread.

 

[NWexplorer]

There's an Outer Reef 26 in MT on Facebook Marketplace that we looked at. Needs updating but includes a trailer. There's a beautiful Maple Bay 30 for sale in Port Ludlow, WA. Both - 1 gph supposedly.

 

[JAM55]

Myself and my partner are starting our research on smaller trawlers capable of weekend, week long... and potential longer journeys. A goal of starting off by playing around in the Gulf Islands, exploring the many inlets, arms and channels. With a goal of heading from Vancouver Island to Alaska and back. It's an interesting sub-category that we feel is akin to "van life". Living light, maximizing efficiency, stretching budgets and miles on a craft that is built with simplicity, accessibility and semi-protected coastal waters in mind.

We do realize that there is no "perfect boat" that will tick all of the boxes and that everything is a compromise, but are still looking. Not quite ready to make the investment just yet (working on shaping our careers and finances), but aiming for 2025 / 2026 if all goes to plan!

So what would be the perfect boat? Does it exist? Did it exist?

• full displacement (~6-7kt hull speed, ability to push slightly faster) 8-10k lbs
• sturdy hull.. a requirement up here with so much logging debris up here. Been there.
• ~28-34ft length / Beam of ~10ft. ie offers flexibility in transport when and if, but primarily in the water.
• single head, single berth with dinette sleeping options (2/4/6 rule)
• simple, single low hp diesel.
• walk-around (can be skinny)
• raised pilothouse with accessibility to deck or controls at stern for docking single-handed
• simple finishes. Some wood for warmpth, but utilitarian.
• simple accessable systems (ie. not a Ranger)
• "somewhat" comfortable in moderate seas (3') and safe if it gets a little rowdy. Seakeeper an option.

There are a few older boats out there that fit the bill, Ie. Willards, Maple Bay's, and the semi-recent North Pacific 28 (though a bit over powered imo), but a seeming gap in market these days. Sea Piper took a swing, but I feel they missed the mark with their overall design. Maybe a good boat for sunny FL or CA, but not for the PNW / Alaska with so much exposure. If they only made it a foot or so wider, 4 ft shorter and in a traditional froward pilothouse lol. Right?

What are your thoughts? Might be time for me to start a second career as a boat designer / builder...

Good question with many options. I have and selling a 30 ft. Clipper Marine rebuilt. Back on land and planning for retirement. Of all you mention you did not mention price range. Understandable. I have been looking at a 2003-2009 American Tugs, 34-36 foot. I would love to get just into the 40 ft. range but price is keeping me down to 34-36. I would suggest taking a look. Have a great dayl.

 

[SeaWoof]

Good question with many options. I have and selling a 30 ft. Clipper Marine rebuilt. Back on land and planning for retirement. Of all you mention you did not mention price range. Understandable. I have been looking at a 2003-2009 American Tugs, 34-36 foot. I would love to get just into the 40 ft. range but price is keeping me down to 34-36. I would suggest taking a look. Have a great dayl.

Would certainly like a larger boat, but as like you, budget is part of the equation and not being retired, with limited investments currently, it means working with the 50-100k range. There are certainly boats that tick the boxes, some needing more work than others, but also don't mind that challenge, being mechanically minded.

The AT's are great boats as are the Nordics. Perhaps we will land one one of those as we still have some timeline to work with. More than likely a late 2025 / 2026 purchase unless something changes. My partner is wrapping up her PhD and I have to build out the staffing in my company to allow me to have more autonomy (also, thank goodness for Starlink now)

 

[SeaWoof]

There's an Outer Reef 26 in MT on Facebook Marketplace that we looked at. Needs updating but includes a trailer. There's a beautiful Maple Bay 30 for sale in Port Ludlow, WA. Both - 1 gph supposedly.

That Maple Bay really is beautiful. The current owners did a nice job updating and cleaning it up. There was a listing a few years back(?) showing the previous condition. If I was ready to buy this moment, it would be taking a look.

 

[NCheaven]

Enjoy the shopping process! Lots of good ideas already shared on this thread. I make a good decision now and then - in this case attending Trawlerfest before I bought the boat. Steve Zimmerman lead a class on numerous things including picking a trawler. He had a couple of forms covering distances and days anticipated cruising, offshore or inshore, number of people on board, planned speeds, hull types and resulting range of speeds and much more. The process affirmed that the Camano flybridge was a great choice for me, and the 11 days bringing it from Bristol RI to the Pamlico River in NC affirmed a good decision. (Polishing the fuel and replacing the fuel filters before starting would have made it better.). Camano fuel usage up to 7.8 kt. is light, above 8kt. it gets much worse. Speed of 12 kt. works if needed in a pinch. While some claim higher speeds, a Camano 31 without trim tabs doesn't handle well over 14kt, and it's not wise at WOT, which for my boat is 15.1.

Having a full keel with skeg protected prop sounds essential in the pac. NW. Great to have in NC/VA, too, as crab pots, deadheads, and more lurk everywhere. Same for "No Exterior Wood", a huge plus. A nautical look and functionality can be had without exterior wood. Having the 200 hp turbo diesel deep in the wide keel adds to stability. Having a FB view makes me a FB guy forever - even though the cabin helm view is generous.

Spend the time, talk to boaters in your chosen waters, and you'll make a great decision, and love the process of doing your homework.

Best wishes!

 

[Skipper Dog]

Not always the case. According to the old sales literature, our pocket trawler supposedly "sleeps 6." It had a silly "berth" in the salon with pipe berth above that I converted into a food locker and work bench. Much more practical for our use. We also put stores forward under the V berth. We had too much food for our 2-month cruise. Probably returned with enough for another month. Fresh eggs (oiled) and produce were kept in the lazarette. We bartered with a woman in Ocean Falls for some lettuce and tomatoes from her garden. It can be done.

Here is my makeshift food storage area (curtesy of Walmart). The tool chest is sitting on what was allegedly a berth (cushions removed). Second photo is some of the stores that went in the lazarette. It did involve some home canning, which might be beyond the skill set of some. We had tons of stores.
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What got me back into "big" boating after a several decades with canoes and kayaks was a blog about a couple that did some extensive cruising in a 16 foot C-Dory. So I bought one. 16 feet is difficult to get enough stores in for a Canada cruise for two, but it is possible. It helps to like fish for dinner.

 

[Skipper Dog]

I remember reading the same article about the couple cruising the San Juan Islands in their C-Dory 16. It seemed like a small boat for such adventures, but got me interested in boats again. We recently purchased a Nordic Tug 34, and we absolutely love it. It will cruise for a week at 6-7 knots, but can reach ~ 18 knots if WOT. That cuts mileage significantly, but it's great to have for emergencies, etc.

 

[NCheaven]

There is a Pacific Coast Camano Owners Association, and Camano owners have an active TF site shared with Helmsman owners, so there are ample opportunities to check with Camano Owners. FB- 11 days cruising Bristol RI to the Pamlico, mostly from the FB was an awesome experience, my cruise of lifetime. Storage is ample for 2 per Great Loop Camano blogs.